By Luca Filigenzi, Local News Editor

On Jan 21. Xavier Newswire published an update on the ongoing Californian wildfire. Since then, a Xavier student, sophomore Tyler Hawatmeh, a Sports Management/PPP major stepped into the now incinerated areas where the homes of his friends, family, and coworkers were in danger of being engulfed by the California fires. 

Hawatmeh was born in St. Louis, but moved to the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles where he attended and graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory. He left his grandparents’ Northridge house on Jan. 7, where he was greeted by thick, grey smoke that enveloped all he could see. 

“We left a window open, and when we checked on it, there was just ash all over a table” Hawatmeh said. 

Not long after, Hawatmeh learned that the fires were affecting the Pacific Palisades, where many of Hawatmeh’s friends and co-workers live. With winds of 70 mph and the combination of weather and altitude, the fire was encircling the Palisades. 

“It was very scary….. We went to the San Fernando Valley, and it was just terrible. All three fires surrounded the valley, so it was like daylight even during the night,” Hawatmeh said of his journey to Los Angeles County.

Once he had arrived, Hawatmeh began to help people evacuate, distributing donated foods, collecting clothes, and helping people retrieve their valuables. Hawatmeh noted how many businesses in the food and services industry have donated meals and clothes to victims of the fires, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars in GoFundMe donations to individuals.

While the fires were declared contained on Jan. 31, their effects are still being felt by thousands of Californians in the Los Angeles County area and beyond. With 29 deaths, over 16,000 structures destroyed, and $250 billion in damages, the impact of these fires will be felt for years. 

“Since I’ve been back, It’s been difficult being here and knowing how it’s still going on. But it allowed me to find out how I could help remotely,” Hawatmeh said. 

Hawatmeh is no stranger to volunteer work. Here at Xavier, he’s involved in many organizations specializing in non-profit work, including, but not limited to X-change, Alternative Breaks, and Xavier Inclusion Club. Before attending university, Tyler founded two non-profits, the San Fernando Mission Center, which is working with was involved with Fr. Greg Boyle’s Homeboy Industries for at-risk youth, people involved in gangs and people who have been previously incarcerated in Greater Los Angeles.

“It’s easy to live in fear. It’s easy to see an issue and run away from it. But being able to put yourself in the community, really being there to address issues. Political or natural, really uniting together is something we can all address.” Hawatmeh stated.